Angel Eyes
by xWintra
Summary: Rory Leeds wanted a fresh start, a way to escape the tragedy on her hands. Moving to Beacon Hills and living with her cousin was supposed to be it, but of course Rory didn't count on the fact that werewolves were real, amongst other things that make the redhead seriously regret moving to the supposed sleepy town. But hey, at least Isaac Lahey made it more manageable. (Book 1, S1&2)
1. Redheads of Beacon Hills

**Chapter One  
Redheads of Beacon Hills**

* * *

"Lydia, I swear to god if we're late it's your fault," Rory Leeds seethed as she hurried around her room, getting dressed while simultaneously packing her bag. It was her first day of school in Beacon Hills and she wanted to make a good first impression. But, unfortunately for her, she slept like a log and relied on others – namely her cousin or brother in this situation – to wake her up on time.

"Why is it always my fault?" Lydia huffed, rolling her eyes as she applied another layer of lip-gloss in her cousin's mirror. It wasn't like Lydia didn't have her own bedroom, but she'd claimed multiple times that she preferred Rory's room to her own.

The Leeds family had moved in just months ago; Daniel – who had married Natalie Martin's sister – along with his two youngest children, Rory and Riley. It was now early January. In that time, Rory had already claimed one of the spare rooms and decorated it accordingly, even if she did have to share it with her brother since their dad had to take the other remaining room. The siblings did have their separate sides of the room, but it was clear whose was whose.

"You're my living alarm clock," Rory responded like the answer was obvious, as she clumsily worked to put her earrings in. "Seriously, I would've missed Christmas lunch if it wasn't for you," Rory added, flashing back to the day. The Leeds had only been residents since late November, so they had celebrated both Christmas and New Years with them.

It was strange for Rory, who had always celebrated such occasions with many of her twelve older siblings (depending on who was in town at the time). Spending it with the Martins was still family, but definitely different. And, in the process, Rory had already been introduced to multiple students of Beacon Hills, including Lydia's boyfriend, Jackson Whittemore.

Beacon Hills was already in its second semester as the Leeds prepared for it. Something that made Rory afraid of being behind. She was far from being as intelligent as her cousin, and she was hoping she wouldn't have much to catch up on after she missed a few months because of what had driven her from New Jersey in the first place.

Where Rory had come from wasn't even so different from Beacon Hills. Her hometown, Chatsworth, had been surrounded by vast expanses of woods and was small enough that everyone knew everyone. On the weekend they'd go hiking amongst the trees, taking scenic photos for social media, and then go swimming in lakes that had been sanctioned off as safe – usually Rory would go with her best friend Kathleen or one of her many older siblings.

"Well, you almost did anyway." Lydia capped her lip gloss and wheeled around to face her cousin, placing a hand on her hip. "What do you think?"

Rory – finished with her earrings – was crouched down packing her bag and looked up at Lydia, who was dressed to impress as per usual. "I think that if you weren't sticking your tongue down Jackson's throat I would've gotten there sooner," Rory remarked, remembering how she'd walked in on her cousin and Jackson in a rather private situation at the Christmas party.

Lydia hit her cousin over the head with her handbag. "I meant the outfit."

"Morning," someone yawned from the doorway, and the two redheaded cousins turned to see Riley. His orange hair was standing at odd angles and he still looked half-asleep, but he wore a fond smile nonetheless. "Are you done yet so I can get ready?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Lydia huffed, swinging her bag over her shoulder and prancing out the door. Rory just rolled her eyes and grabbed her own bag.

Riley was only eleven months older than Rory, the sibling she was closest in age to – and they shared the closest age gap of any of the Leeds children. Because of this, their father had made the choice to hold back Riley to have them be in the same year. It meant Riley was unusually old for his grade, but he took it in stride, ignoring whatever comments or judgements came his way.

Rory was grateful. Riley was also the sibling she was closest to in general, and couldn't imagine not sharing classes with him. Having him here with her was a huge relief. After everything that had happened, she was glad he was still around. They were the last two Leeds left in school, while everyone else had graduated and moved (though most just bunked with each other). None of them would've wanted to come to the sleepy Californian town, anyway.

"You look like you need some coffee," Rory mused, noting the dark rings against her brother's pale undereye skin.

Riley scoffed and moved out of the door. "The day I drink coffee willingly will be talked about in history class."

Rory left her brother to get dressed – as he had an opposite routine to Rory and Lydia – and the younger redhead headed towards the stairs where Lydia was impatiently waiting to head down and leave. They already knew it took Riley no time to get dressed in the morning, unlike them.

"Are those _my_ shoes?" Rory questioned, noticing Lydia's choice of heels for the day that made the usually equal-height cousins not so much.

"You can't get this brand in California," Lydia defended herself, looking genuinely offended by her cousin's accusation as they went down the stairs. Rory just rolled her eyes, completely used to Lydia prioritising fashion above all else. She'd been doing it since they were kids, whenever the cousins would visit each other for their birthdays and parties. Even in third grade, Lydia would dress to impress, and encourage Rory to do the same – not that she minded too much.

The cousins were related through Rory's mother, who was a sister to Natalie Martin. Rory and Lydia had become best friends over the years, maybe even comparable to sisters, and were noticeably similar. After they clicked so well the first-time meeting, they visited each other for a month or so in total every year – _always_ making time for the others birthday party. But, they had also been there for each other during times they needed someone most, Rory with Lydia's parents' divorce, and Lydia with the death of Rory's boyfriend.

The thought made her suddenly choke up, her throat tightening. Rory had tried to avoid thinking of that night, preferring to distract herself from the pain rather than wallow. Losing her boyfriend of three years, Logan Bettencourt, had been a blow. Made even more so by how it went down, and how Rory had returned home that night covered in his blood.

That was how the redhead found herself in the sleepy town of Beacon Hills, her father deciding it was best she didn't continue to live in a place that would continually remind her of the people she'd lost in her life. Rory often wondered how her mother would've handled the devastating events, though she'd never know, since the woman who had birthed Rory and her twelve older siblings had died bringing her thirteenth child, Rory, into the world.

"Horrific," Rory deadpanned, composing herself and letting the clothing theft slide. The cousins were the same size and height, it happened all the time.

"I know," Lydia pouted, twisting a lock of red hair around her finger as they reached the bottom of the stairs where Natalie Martin was moving around hurriedly for the morning.

"Good morning, girls," she greeted with a friendly smile, which both Lydia and Rory returned. "Ready to go?"

"Where's my dad?" Rory asked, looking around the living room and then into the kitchen when she couldn't see her father.

"Your father had to leave early," Natalie informed her, sounding sympathetic. Rory squared her shoulders and just nodded, used to her father's absence. Keeping a family of thirteen children living comfortably with only one parent had been a struggle, and old work habits died hard. Even if all of the Leeds children except for Rory and Riley were out of school and starting to build their own lives.

"Right." Lydia sent her cousin a look, but Rory ignored her as Riley came thumping down the stairs, swinging on the banister and coming to stand beside his sister, slouching an arm around her shoulder.

"Hey," he said, breathing as if he'd just run a marathon in the short time it'd taken him to get dressed and ready. "We ready to go?"

The redheaded teenage trio headed outside to the car with Natalie. The drive to Beacon Hills High was filled with gossip from Lydia, mainly telling Rory and Riley who she should avoid and why. Rory only paid attention half the time. The rest of her mind was just focused on memories from New Jersey.

She remembered when all her siblings had gone off to high school and she went to a completely different school to them, when it was just her and Riley. And then there was their first day of high school, and the only comments they got were "more Leeds?" from every single teacher. Rory smiled softly at the thought of the place she had left behind, her eyes drifting to the back of Riley's head in the passenger seat.

Half way to school, Rory pulled out her mobile and looked down at the screen, her finger hovering over the messaging app. She should text her best friend, Kathleen, tell her to have a great day, keep her head high and kick some ass. But Rory knew she would be ignored, or only stir things up again. Kathleen wanted nothing to do with the Leeds family after Logan's death, and that included her former best friend, Rory, who had become the town whack job after it all.

Rory let out a long sigh and slipped her phone away. It was a new year, a new place, which meant a new life. She was being given the chance to make a new name for herself, to forget her tarnished New Jersey reputation, one that left her returning to school after the incident and being followed by rumours and hurtful comments wherever she went. She was being given the chance to leave it all behind.

The car pulled up to the school, and despite the look of confidence and calmness on Rory's face, her heart was pounding and she continuously wiped her sweaty palms on her tights. Rory exited the car, saying a quick goodbye to Natalie as she drove off. Riley came around the side and nudged Rory's shoulder, and the girl knew it was a supportive gesture between them. Rory held her head high as she stepped forward and waited for her cousin to come around, before they walked towards Beacon Hills High together.

As they neared the school, Rory could hear students chatting among themselves, as well as feel eyes zeroing in on her and Riley, the newcomers. It must've been pretty clear they were related, all three of them having distinct red hair that Natalie and Rory mother's, Jane, had given their families.

Rory managed to hold herself together, walking confidently and holding her head high as the three redheads reached the stairs, putting Rory in the position to overhear a nearby conversation between two boys. One was lanky, with a buzz cut and maple-coloured eyes. His friend was stockier, with floppy dark hair, an uneven jawline and puppy dog eyes.

"I mean, this is seriously gonna be the best thing that's happened to this town since–" Rory wasn't sure what Buzz Cut was going to say, but he suddenly caught sight of the approaching siblings and Lydia, and his eyes widened considerably. "Since the birth of Lydia Martin," he finished off. Lydia didn't even glance his way as she brushed past him. "Hey Lydia," he called, happily, and the redhead continued to ignore the boy, "you look...like you're gonna ignore me."

And ignore him they did, the three redheads continuing up the stairs and into the school. Lydia practically strutted ahead, while Rory and Riley hung back, taking in everything around them as they scanned the hallways that were already filled with people.

The redheaded trio continued down the hallways until Rory found her locker. She started off with pulling out her combination lock and hooking it to her locker, before Rory pulled out some photos from New Jersey and stuck them to the inside of her locker to add a personal touch she'd always preferred to give her school items.

Half way through the process, Jackson arrived, pulling Lydia close and sticking his tongue down her throat. Rory's own throat tightened at the sight and she turned away, slamming her locker closed, shutting the photo she'd stuck up of Logan and her away.

"Mm, hi Jackson," Lydia breathed as her lips parted from her boyfriend's. Jackson just grinned down at his girlfriend and looked at Rory and her brother.

"Hey, Leeds'," Jackson greeted the siblings, an arm draped over Lydia's shoulder. Rory's eye twitched slightly, but she had to tell herself to hold it together. She couldn't get angry or upset every time she saw a happy couple just because she no longer had something like that.

"Hey, Whittemore," Rory said, while Riley dipped his head in acknowledgment. Rory didn't dislike Jackson, per se, she just didn't like him with her cousin. Otherwise, he was just the same as anyone else Rory and Riley had hung out with during their Jersey days.

"Lydia!" a voice called, and no sooner was the group joined by a petite blonde girl, wearing clothes probably too low-set for a school environment. No matter, she held herself with confidence as she scanned the two new redheads with curious blue eyes. "You two new here?"

"Fallon," Lydia greeted with a small smile, "these are my cousins, Riley and Rory. They were at the New Year's party."

'Fallon's' eyes showed little recognition as she looked Rory and Riley up and down. "To be fair I don't remember much from then," she admitted, shrugging. Jackson scoffed and the blonde girl's face changed from charming to a lethal glare in under a second. "Whatever. I'm Fallon Parker, obviously," she added, tilting her head and lightly biting her lip. Riley cleared his throat and looked away, Rory elbowing him in the ribcage. Fallon smirked, almost proudly. "Wait… so which one of you's which?"

Jackson interjected. "Riley, you're trying out for lacrosse after school, right?" Jackson asked Rory's brother.

"Yep," the redheaded boy replied. Though it'd taken some convincing – namely from Lydia – Riley had agreed to give the local sport a go. After a lifetime of playing football and baseball in Jersey, it was going to be a shift, but Rory knew her brother was that annoying person who was just _good_ at any sport they did. The girl couldn't relate, having stuck to dancing and gymnastics her whole life. She'd tried basketball once. Never again, she told herself.

"Great. We could use an actual good player this year," Jackson said in relief, though Rory caught a flash of annoyance as he referred to his team. "I have a spare stick if you need it," he added.

The boys quickly shook hands. "Yeah, thanks, man."

The group soon departed, Lydia and Jackson heading off to their classes while Fallon joined a different group of girls who looked just Lydia's speed, while the Leeds walked the incredibly short distance to Riley's locker. They didn't have their timetables yet, so kept their bags with their books on hand as they headed for where they had been told to meet the student administrator.

The bell had gone and people were rushing back and forth to get to class and Rory did everything in her power to walk and not get shoved, but it happened a couple of times, each time her scowl deepening. Riley wasn't having as difficult a time, given how tall he was.

One particularly hard shove, however, and Rory clenched her jaw and spun around. "Hey!" she called. The boy froze in place. He was incredibly tall, taller than Riley. "Watch where you're going," Rory added. The boy slowly turned to face her, and it wasn't what Rory had been expecting. Instead of some cocky-looking jock, she was met with a sweet face with a busted lip and a bruised eye, curly blonde hair tickling his forehead.

"S-sorry," the boy murmured softly and Rory's face softened ever so slightly.

"Yeah, me too," Rory sighed, giving the boy a sheepish smile. There was an awkward silence between them. "You might want to get some ice for your lip," Rory advised. The boy's eyes widened and a hand flew up to his lip. Rory didn't say anything else to him as she turned on her heel and continued on her way.

"Thought I'd lost you," Riley mused as Rory arrived at the doors and they headed outside together.

"Not getting rid of me that easy," Rory fired back with a grin.

The schoolyard was already empty and the siblings descended the stairs, Rory's eyes zeroing in on a bench where they could sit and wait for the administrator to show up. As they got closer, Rory noticed a brunette girl sitting there with her own school bag, nervously fiddling with her phone.

The girl glanced up at Rory and Riley. She was pretty, with angular features, dark eyes and hair, and adorable dimples that made themselves known as she smiled politely at the pair. She had a great sense of style that the redheaded girl noticed straight away.

"Hi," Rory said with a wide smile.

"Hi," the girl responded with a smaller smile compared to Rory.

"Uh, may we?" Riley asked, gesturing to the bench.

"Oh, yeah, of course," the girl said quickly, shuffling over and moving her bag onto her lap. Rory gave her a grateful smile as the siblings sat down, Rory in the middle and Riley on the end.

"What're you waiting here for?" Rory asked curiously, giving the girl a sideways glance.

"Oh, uh, just an administrator to give come and show me to my first class," the girl replied, shyly.

"Oh, you're new, too," Riley realised, flashing the girl a smile.

"Yeah," the girl laughed, nervously, brushing a lock of dark hair behind her ear.

"Don't worry, we are, too," Rory admitted, and Riley gave a thumbs-up. The girl looked at them in relief.

"Really?" the girl asked, eagerly. Rory nodded. "Oh, thank god. I really didn't want to be the one new girl here this year," the girl gushed and Rory chuckled.

"It's our first move, so we wouldn't know," Riley told the girl.

"Really? Where'd you guys move from?" the girl asked, good-naturedly.

"New Jersey," Rory answered. "You?"

"San Francisco," the girl replied. "But we've moved a lot for my parents' work so I've been the new girl lots of times. Doesn't get any easier, though." She sighed. "I'm Allison Argent, by the way."

"Riley Leeds," he introduced. "And Rory," he added, gesturing to his sister who had focused on her phone as it vibrated. It was a text message from her dad, wishing her the best of luck for the day, albeit a little too dramatic then it needed to be, which was followed by a missed call.

"It's dad," Rory told her brother. Of course, he'd _only_ texted her. "He's acting like I'm going off to war or something," Rory said with an eye roll as she put her phone back.

Allison let out a small laugh. "My mum's already called twice and texted me heaps."

"You must be really good at this, though," Riley said, earning a questioning glance from Allison. "Being the new girl, I mean."

"Yeah, I guess you could say I am a bit of a pro at the whole business," Allison agreed, her dimples flashing as she laughed with Riley.

Rory laughed as well, when another text came through – this time from Lydia asking if the Leeds were okay so far. "I swear, Lydia underestimates us no matter what," Rory said aloud.

"Who?" Allison asked.

"Oh, uh, just our cousin who goes here," Riley explained briefly.

"Oh, you already know people here?" Allison said, not able to hide the disappointment from her voice.

"Don't sound like that. We'll introduce you," Rory said, hurriedly. "Lydia knows heaps of people, you'll find someone you like," Rory added, moving her eyebrows suggestively towards the end.

Allison laughed as if it was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. "I've _never_ had a boyfriend, so, I doubt it."

"Oh, come on, some guy must've liked you at one point," Rory insisted, playfully elbowing Allison, who shook her head and pressed her lips together. "No? Seriously? Well, then, I guess this'll just be your school. I'm telling you, you're going to find a great guy here. I've just got a feeling."

"Of course," Allison laughed along with Rory. "What about you? Leave anyone behind in New Jersey?" Rory should've seen the question coming, but her heart still sank at the thought of Logan. Losing him had left a wound that Rory still wasn't ready to classify as 'healed.'

"Nah, not really. No one serious at the time," Riley spoke up, answering the question instead, and Rory tried not to let out an audible sigh of relief. She'd have to thank her brother later.

"Oh, okay," Allison just nodded. The brunette's phone went off and she huffed and rummaged through her bag, before answering her phone. Rory let out a breath and exchanged the briefest of glances with Riley, who just gave her a small smile.

"Mum, three calls on my first day is a little overdoing it," Allison sighed as she answered the phone. She began to search through her bag. "...Everything except a pen. Oh, my god, I didn't actually forget a pen."

"Borrow one of mine," Rory offered.

"Only if you have one," Allison accepted, with a grateful smile. "Uh, that's my friend, Rory, mum. She's new here, her and her brother, too." Rory's heart swelled slightly at being called Allison's 'friend.' Allison chuckled and looked at the Leeds. "Mum says 'hi'." There was a beat of silence. "Okay, okay. I gotta go. Love ya," Allison told her mum, and Rory turned her head to see a man in a suit walking towards them.

Allison hung up on her mum and got to her feet, swinging her bag over her shoulder. Rory did the same thing, finding she was irritatingly shorter than her new friend, made even more noticeable as Riley rose to his feet as well.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," the man apologised as he got closer. His eyes reached Rory and her brother. "Riley and Aurora Leeds, I presume?" Allison looked at Rory curiously, but the redhead ignored the look. "Your dad has already signed your forms?"

"He has," Riley replied, politely.

"Allison received hers this morning, but these are yours." The man handed the Leeds a sheet of paper each, which Rory found to be their timetable. The man began to move off, prompting the three new kids to follow.

"So, Aurora?" Allison asked with a smirk.

Rory rolled her eyes at her full name. "Don't. Everyone calls me Rory."

"So, Allison, you were saying San Francisco isn't where you grew up?" the man spoke up and Allison snapped into attention.

"Oh, no, but we lived there for more than a year, which is unusual in my family," Allison informed, and Rory found herself extremely curious about what her parents' jobs were that required so many moves.

"Well, hopefully Beacon Hills will be your last stop for a while." The conversation ceased as the four reached a door. "You girls are in here first." Rory exchanged a glance with her brother, who just shrugged. The man opened the door to the classroom and walked in, followed by the two new girls while Riley hovered at the door.

All the students, whose heads had been staring at their desks, snapped to attention. Beside Rory, Allison ducked her head slightly and slumped her shoulders, looking shy, whereas Rory held herself high and confident.

"Class, these are our new students, Allison Argent and Aurora Leeds," the man introduced. Allison smiled a little. Rory bit her tongue from correcting him to 'Rory.' "Please do your best to make them feel welcome," the man added. Rory watched him walk to the door, her and her brother exchanging one more look before the door shut.

Rory now took a better look at the class, a few people still staring at the new girls. Rory didn't recognise anyone, except for the two boys who'd been gossiping about Lydia that morning. One of them, Rory noticed, was completely distracted by Allison.

The teacher gestured for the two girls to take seats at the empty desks towards the back of the class. Allison walked quickly, her eyes avoiding everyone, while Rory strode over to a desk behind buzzcut kid and next to Allison, who was behind buzzcut's friend.

Rory began to rummage through her bag for a spare pen for Allison, but she needn't have worried, as she looked up and saw the floppy-haired boy leaning back and holding out a pen to Allison. Naturally, the girl was too kind to say no, and took the pen without question and a soft, "thanks."

The boy just smiled at Allison and turned back around, leaving her confused and staring at the pen and then back at his head. Allison exchanged a puzzled glance with Rory, who just shrugged, even though the redhead was secretly bothered and extremely curious about how he'd known Allison needed a pen.

"We'll begin with Kafka's Metamorphosis, on page one hundred and thirty-three," the teacher instructed, and Rory dove into her first of many lessons at Beacon Hills.

* * *

It was only half-way through class when the buzzcut boy sitting in front of Rory twisted in his chair, turning around to look back at the redhead. "Hey, so are you and Lydia, like, close?" Rory looked up from her work at the boy. "I mean, uh, just out of curiosity, I mean," he added, and Rory furrowed her eyebrows at the question.

"Uh, who're you?" she asked, having absolutely no idea who the weird kid was.

The boy looked alarmed, as if maybe he'd just realised he and Rory didn't actually know each other. "Right, right, I'm Stiles," he introduced.

"What the hell is a Stiles?" Rory said before she could stop herself.

"What?"

She just shook her head, brushing off the unusual name. "Nothing. Sorry, what'd you ask?"

"You and Lydia," Stiles repeated.

"Yeah, we're cousins," Rory answered, simply, shrugging. She looked back down to her work and the class continued, Stiles, thankfully turning back to his own desk. A moment later, however, he leaned back in his seat again.

"You know, I remember you, right?" Stiles' whisper was rather loud, and Rory looked up at him again, annoyance flashing across her face as she loudly placed her pencil down. "You were at Lydia's tenth birthday party," Stiles elaborated at Rory's blank look. "And, uh, every other birthday party, I think. I saw you at them."

"Over Lydia's dead body you were invited," Rory scoffed, knowing Stiles was hardly the type Lydia would accept.

"Oh, no, of course I wasn't invited," Stiles admitted, casually, before he realised his words. "I mean, no, no, not in the creepy way, I swear. I just saw you in photos, I mean, yeah. Um...photos," he said this all very quickly, all while Rory was looking at him with slightly wide eyes.

"Weren't you the kid who got chased off because you were watching us over the fence?"

Stiles fell backwards in his chair, knocking Rory's desk in the process. The teacher looked up at Stiles, boredly, and Rory rolled her eyes in annoyance. Most of the class turned to see what had happened, and Stiles scrambled to his feet and took his seat again. He glanced at Rory over his shoulder.

"Cute," she whispered, sarcastically, giving the boy a mock thumbs up before going back to her work. She honestly found it amusing that a young Stiles had been watching Lydia's birthday bash. The parties were so exclusive she wasn't even surprised.

The rest of the lesson was relatively quiet, with Rory getting down to business and proudly finishing the assigned tasks in the class time. At the end of the period, Rory packed up her stuff and walked over to where Allison was seated. She waited for the brunette and the two new girls headed out together.

The day passed quickly, with Rory losing Allison in the squash of people at every break. Lydia and Jackson rounded up Rory and Riley both times, introducing them to their group of friends while the siblings caught up with each other and relayed their first day events.

Rory had a few more classes with all the people she now knew and attempted to strike up conversation with anyone she didn't, at least those she knew Lydia would approve of. By the end of the day, Rory was pretty happy with how her first day had gone and was surprised at how afraid she'd been just that morning.

Rory packed her books back into her locker, but she was in no hurry. After all, lacrosse was happening soon, and Riley was going to be giving it a shot. Lydia was also adamant on them not missing any piece of lacrosse for Jackson, and Rory agreed for both of them, despite her distaste for team sports.

Riley met Rory at her locker, and the pair were heading down to the pitch when Rory spotted Allison at her locker, and the redhead instantly headed over. "Hey, stranger!" Allison jumped slightly and turned to Rory, who looked in the direction Allison had been beaming at moments before. Rory spotted the pen boy fumbling with his own locker. "Ah...got a little thing for–?"

Allison instantly denied it. "No!" she said, a little loudly. "No," she repeated, quieter. "I'm just curious about the whole pen thing."

"Sure," Rory said, not believing Allison for a second.

"So, how's the first day going for you?" Riley asked good-naturedly, leaning on the locker just behind Rory, but he was still visible due to his stature and height.

Allison hesitated. "Not bad. Talked to a few people. I was in the library at lunch."

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't try and find you," Rory sighed, genuinely feeling bad. If she hadn't had Riley or Lydia's support during the day, Rory wouldn't have known what she would've done. She gestured to her brother. "We were just about to–" before Rory could offer for Allison to hang out with them at the pitch, Lydia arrived.

"That jacket is _absolutely_ killer," the it-girl commented, gesturing to said-fashion item. "Where'd you get it?" Allison hesitated, her eyes flicking to Rory, as if she were surprised about Lydia's words. Rory just nodded. Allison didn't know it, but Lydia was opening herself up to her and basically offering her friendship. That was rare.

"Uh, my mum was buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco," Allison answered, nodding along to her own words. Rory instantly knew that Allison had said the right thing, as Lydia smiled and nodded.

"And _you_ are my new best friend," Lydia said with a small laugh, pointing at Allison and causing Rory to scoff. Lydia turned to look at her cousin, her strawberry-blonde curls bobbing with the movement.

"Excuse me?" Rory said in fake offence.

"Oh, please, Rora you're my cousin, it's _different_ ," Lydia told Rory dismissively, and the latter redhead just snorted.

"Nice to see you too, cuz," Riley said with a small laugh. Allison gave Rory a look as if to say ' _this_ is your cousin?'. She just shrugged. Lydia let out a giggle as Jackson swooped in from behind, pulling her close from her waist.

"Hey, Jackson," Lydia said, softly, pecking her boyfriend's lips. Rory looked away instantly.

"Who's this?" Jackson asked, his arm still around Lydia's waist. He raised his chin to Allison and the brunette looked awkward, and immediately turned to Rory and Riley for introductions.

"This is Allison. She's new here as well," Rory introduced.

"She's the one we told you guys about at lunch," Riley added.

"It's...nice to meet you guys," Allison said, quietly, not looking anyone in the eyes.

"I'm Lydia," the petite redhead introduced, gesturing with a perfectly-manicured hand towards herself. She then gestured to Jackson. "This is–"

"The hunk of junk hanging onto her is Jackson," Rory had to intervene, giving Lydia a sugary sweet smile. Jackson sneered at Rory, who just batted her eyelashes innocently, while Allison looked unsure if it was appropriate to laugh or not.

" _Anyway_ ," Lydia said, dramatically. "This weekend, there's a party." This was news to Rory, who snapped to attention, especially at the idea of drinks, dancing and dressing to impress. She'd enjoyed it a lot back in Jersey, and had had parties and events almost every weekend. Well, she'd enjoyed them largely until _that_ night, but hopefully she'd be able to get back into the swing of things.

"A party?" Allison repeated, curiously.

Jackson nodded. "Yeah, Friday night. You should come."

"Hang on, how are we _just_ hearing about this?" Riley interrupted, causing the group to look at him. "Why are you even throwing a party, cuz?"

"It's to celebrate my incredibly ungrateful cousins' first week of school here," Lydia replied, tilting her head to the side, as if challenging the Leeds to make a smart remark.

"Yeah, thanks, if we make it that far," Rory responded, earning a grin from her brother. Allison cracked a smile. "So, I guess, are you going to come to _our_ welcoming party?" Rory asked the brunette.

Allison pressed her lips together. "Uh, I can't. It's family night this Friday." Rory let out a breath at the lie. "Thanks for asking," Allison added as a precaution.

"You sure?" Jackson sounded sceptical. "I mean, everyone's going after the scrimmage."

"You mean like football?" Allison questioned.

"I wish," Riley snorted.

"Football's a joke in Beacon," Jackson scoffed. "The sport here is lacrosse. We've won the state championship for the past three years."

"All because of a certain team captain," Lydia added, proudly, giving Jackson a quick peck on the lips. Rory looked away again, pressing her lips together. To anyone else, it would've looked like she was just uncomfortable with the public display of affection.

"Practice is in a few minutes. I was gonna ask you to come before _someone_ interrupted," Rory offered Allison, giving Lydia a pointed look.

"That is if you don't have anywhere else–" Jackson interjected.

"Well, I was going to–" Allison tried to say but it was no use.

"Perfect," Lydia chirped, taking a hold of Allison's hand. "You're coming." With that, the strawberry blonde turned on her heel, dragging an apprehensive Allison along with her.

* * *

It had become quite chilly outside by the time the girls exited the school and headed towards the metal bleachers, Riley and Jackson having branched off to go get changed for the practice. The grounds were already alive with lacrosse players, some Rory briefly knew from Lydia's introductions, others Rory was clueless about. Fallon slid into the group, linking arms with Lydia almost automatically. Allison looked warily at the blonde, but didn't say anything beyond introductions.

And then, for the second time that day, Rory crashed into someone, her shoulder being shoved, hard. The redhead whipped around. "Hey, watch it," she snapped, aware that Allison, Fallon and Lydia had moved off, watching the scene curiously.

"I'm sorry, so, so, sorry," the boy quickly apologised, and Rory recognised him as the one she'd crashed into just that morning.

Deciding it wasn't worth making a fuss over being shoved, Rory took a breath and slowly unclenched her fists, before speaking calmly. "Second time today," she mused. "Can I at least get your name?"

"Uh, Isaac, Isaac Lahey," the boy managed to get out, and Rory noted he barely raised his head as he spoke.

She gave him an easy smile. "I'm Rory."

"I know," Isaac answered, causing Rory to furrow her brows. "We have chemistry together."

"Oh...right." She had no idea. Isaac just nodded, like he'd expected it. "You play lacrosse?" Rory asked, trying not to let the conversation die awkwardly.

"Uh...yeah, yeah," Isaac replied, still looking at his feet.

"You good?" Rory inquired with a playful grin.

"Uh..." Isaac cleared his throat, sounding nervous. "Well, uh, I've been on the team every year so I, uh, must be doing something right, I guess." He chuckled a bit, and Rory smiled at him.

"Guess so." She looked over at the bleachers where her friends were sat, her cousin gesturing with a hand for her to come quick. Rory turned back to the blonde boy. "Hey, I'll be watching. See you around, Isaac." The boy smiled at her, and Rory decided she preferred him smiling, as she turned on her heel and headed over to her friends.

Rory settled down on the bleachers where her friends and cousin had saved her a seat in between them. She scanned the grounds, spotting pen boy and Stiles rushing over to the benches with their bags. She looked back the way she'd come from, and saw Isaac standing amongst a group of boys, but he wasn't engaging in their conversation. Rory turned just in time to see pen boy smile in the girls' direction, and she figured he was smiling at Allison. Again.

"McCall!" the coach called loudly, heading over to pen boy. Rory couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. Her face melded into surprise when the coach threw some equipment roughly into Scott's arms. "Let's go! Come on!" the coach cried after another exchange of words, walking away from Scott, who went over and took his place in the goal.

"Is he always like this?" Rory leaned towards Lydia, who just nodded, her green eyes never leaving her boyfriend on the field. "Some coach," Rory snorted.

"Who is that?" Allison asked the group, staring directly at pen boy.

Lydia scanned the field, before her eyes landed on pen boy. "Him?" Lydia sounded confused. "I'm not sure who he is. Why?" she added as an afterthought.

"He's in our English class," Allison replied, glancing quickly at Rory. "That's all."

"Bullshit, that's all," Rory scoffed. Lydia looked at Allison curiously, while the brunette flushed. Fallon was distracted by one of the older lacrosse players. The quartet quickly got back to watching the pitch, however, just in time to witness McCall get a ball straight to the face. Rory winced at the blow. The rest of the team laughed at him.

"Hey, way to catch it with your face, McCall!" someone called, a smirk in their voice, and Rory recognised it as Jackson's. McCall got back up as another boy ran forward to have a shot at goal. Rory prepared for the blow, but it never came, as McCall caught the oncoming ball with ease. The team went quiet, and the boy himself looked surprised.

Another ball came forward, this time faster and lower, but McCall caught it again. The students in the bleachers began to cheer, and Rory raised her eyebrows. Ball after ball, McCall caught them, nothing got past him.

"He seems like he's pretty good," Allison said from beside Rory.

"Yeah, very good," Lydia agreed, not taking her eyes off the pitch.

Rory was gnawing on her lip as she saw Jackson push his way to the front of the line to have a shot at goal. In only a second, McCall had caught the best player's ball, and the crowd erupted into cheers. Perhaps the loudest was Lydia, who got to her feet. Rory and Allison exchanged amused glances.

Practice went by fairly quickly after that, and Rory smiled almost proudly every time Isaac did well, which was most of the time. Despite his modesty, Isaac was a damn good lacrosse player in Rory's eyes. Riley, of course, aced the drills and training, Rory avidly cheering him on at even the slightest achievement, which had the redheaded boy rolling his eyes and ignoring her. She'd done it at every one of his sport games since they were kids and she never got bored of it.

The sun was still out when the four girls headed back to the carpark together while the boys showered and got changed. The cousins farewelled Allison, who went home with her dad, and then Fallon who got into a car with the older lacrosse player she'd been eyeing hours earlier, before Riley came back, looking pleased with himself.

"Well, well, well, look at the new jock of the town," Rory mocked, her brother, who swung an arm around her shoulder as usual. "Any girls _fallen_ at your feet yet?" she asked, dramatically, slumping against Riley to add affect.

"Yeah, right." Riley playfully shoved his sister off him, the girl chuckling as he did so. Lydia just watched on, amused by her cousins. Moments later, Natalie pulled up. She asked the Leeds the standard questions about their first day on the drive home, Rory discovering that Riley had done well on the social ladder for his first day.

The Leeds were still laughing as they headed up to the front door, Rory making another off-hand remark about Riley being the new womaniser of the school, as they entered the house and Rory saw her father. The redheaded girl's mood shifted.

"Hey, dad," she said, slowly. Daniel Leeds turned around, grinning as he saw his children. "You're home early," Rory remarked, walking inside and swinging her bag off her back.

"Yeah, well, wanted to at least _see_ you on your first day," Daniel told them, before hugging each of his children in turn, Riley having to lean down due to his height.

"Dad, it's not that big a deal. We just moved schools," Riley told him softly, shrugging. Rory nodded in agreement.

Daniel looked at them sadly, sighing. "I know, I know, it's just… after everything that happened, I wish we didn't have to." Rory's face fell. It wasn't everything that had happened to _them_ , it was everything that happened to _her_ that had them move away for her convenience. She knew that. And the guilt had eaten her up inside for the first month they'd spent in Beacon Hills until she'd come to terms with it. Mostly.

"Well, we're here now. Let's make the most of it, I guess," she chirped up, clapping her hands together to make a cheerful point.

"Yes, let's. I'm making Bolognese tonight," Daniel announced, and Rory couldn't help but smile. After raising thirteen children on his own, the man had become an extremely talented cook. Rory and Riley had insisted he switch it to his actual job, but he denied every time. Maybe it was better that way, as just the Leeds – and now the Martins – got to enjoy it.

"Oh, hell yeah," Riley said with a large grin. Daniel just rolled his eyes, before branching off for the space that had been set up as his home office. Rory supposed that since he'd gotten off early, he needed to make up for it somehow. The Leeds children left their bags on the couch and moved into the kitchen for afternoon snacks, just as Lydia came thumping down the stairs.

"Scott McCall," she said.

Rory raised her eyebrows, a granola bar in her hands. "What?"

"Allison's pen boy; his name's Scott McCall," Lydia elaborated. Rory raised her eyebrows higher. "I checked the yearbooks from last year," Lydia huffed.

Rory bit into her granola bar. "Damn, you're quick."

"I'm _efficient_ ," Lydia responded, Rory raising her hands in defence.

"Oh, McCall? Yeah, he's cool," Riley piped up, zoning into the conversation with a packet of biscuits in his hands, to himself. His head rose from where he had been crouched down in the pantry. "What about him?"

"He's a good player. I need to keep up," Lydia answered, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, alright," Rory mused, not believing her cousin for a second. The Martin girl just rolled her eyes, more than used to her cousins giving her a hard time by now.

"Well, welcome to Beacon Hills, I guess," she said, holding up her arms mockingly as she turned on her heel and headed for the stairs. Rory just smiled at Lydia's annoyance, turning to exchange a look with her brother, who had an entire biscuit stuffed in his mouth as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

And welcome to Beacon Hills, it was.

* * *

 **A/N:** Welcome to Angel Eyes _!_ I obviously do not own Teen Wolf, but Rory is mine, as well as multiple other OCs, which is another disclaimer as I'm aware some people don't like stories with one or more new characters _!_ But this story will span over season 1 and 2, with plans for the entire series if I can ever get there, but that's the ultimate goal.

Anyway this was the classic, kinda fillery introduction chapter for the series, so trust that it will definitely get better/pick up later on. Thank you for reading, let me know what you thought and i'll see you in the next one _!_


	2. Welcoming Party

**Chapter Two  
Welcoming Party**

* * *

Rory gasped awake, sweat making her hair stick to her neck as she bolted upright in her bed. There were tears in her eyes which she hastily wiped away as she glanced around her room, making sure the images that haunted her in sleep weren't real. Nightmares weren't uncommon for the redhead, especially since that night, but it never made them any easier.

Rory sniffed and looked over at the other side of the room where her brother remained asleep, hardly stirring. Rory ran her hands through her hair, pulling it away from her neck. She turned to see the time on her digital clock. She still had about an hour and a half till she needed to start getting ready for school, so she did the thing that always calmed her.

Rory pulled her hair into a ponytail and threw on her favourite sports bra and leggings. She grabbed her phone and headphones from beside her bed as well as her favourite pair of trainers on the way out the door, keeping her footsteps light the entire time.

Rory's troubled thoughts after the nightmare melted away as she ran with her music in her ears. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she could always use her phone to find her way back to the Martins' house. The streets were empty and quiet at this hour, and Rory found herself occasionally twirling or leaping during her strides, years of training having gotten her body used to moving to music.

Eventually, Rory ended up on a bush trail, and was running, carefree, through the woods, when she saw something through the trees. Veering off the path and towards the thing, Rory realised it was a house– or what had once been a house, as it was now blackened and partially collapsed.

Rory slowed to a stop and pulled out one earphone, breathing heavily. The house would've once been grand, but now it was quite sad to see. Rory let out a sigh and turned away, only to find herself face to face with a man. Rory let out a strangled yell of surprise and leapt back, having not heard or seen anyone approaching in the few moments she'd been standing by the house. The man looked older than Rory, with dark hair, green eyes and a sour expression on his face as he looked down his nose at the redheaded girl.

"Shit, you scared me," Rory gasped, not taking her eyes off the stranger as she tried to catch her breath. The man didn't give any reaction to her statement, so Rory spoke again. "Who are you and why the hell is someone else out here at this ungodly hour?"

The man's lip twitched _very_ slightly. "This is private property," he said, sternly.

"Wait, you _live_ here?" Rory looked at the burnt down house once more, quickly turning to face the man again. He nodded once. "I had no idea. Sorry."

The man's face remained indifferent. "Just don't let me catch you back here again."

Rory raised her hands in a defensive gesture. "Okay, okay, I'm going."

She brushed past the man and tucked her headphone back in. She began to jog back the way she'd come, glancing over her shoulder once more. The man had disappeared, and she briefly looked around to see if he was going to leap out at her. He didn't. Rory dismissed it, and continued running home, knowing she needed to be back in time for her second day at Beacon Hills High.

* * *

"Are you crazy?" Daniel Leeds demanded as he stormed into the kitchen, Rory looking up from her cereal with a confused look on her face. Riley was beside her, studying one of their curriculum books, but paused at their father's tone.

"Elaborate," Rory said, placing her spoon down and leaning forward across the counter, almost daringly.

"A girl was found, dead, just on the weekend in that same stretch of woods that you go running alone on, at dawn, without telling anyone?" Daniel's tone wasn't angry, but enough to jar his daughter to her senses. Rory tried not to let her face display the shock she felt. She had had no idea of the murder, or that she had put herself at risk.

Rory clenched and unclenched her fists a few times, before calmly saying, "Okay you've made your point."

"Do you have any idea how stupid that was?" Daniel added, and Rory pressed her lips together.

"Yeah, I have some idea," she said, voice strained from the effort it took to sound indifferent. Daniel gave her one last look before moving to his study area. Rory pushed her half-finished cereal away from her and sighed, Riley looking up from his book.

"He's doing it out of concern, you know?" he said, voice cautious. Rory frowned, knowing her brother was just trying to help without seeming like he was taking their dad's side.

"I know," Rory ground out.

"And it… has nothing to do with what happened." Riley's voice was quiet. Rory's face hardened at the statement, at the knowledge that Daniel had been notoriously overbearing since the incident. "Any dad would be worried about his daughter running a trail where another girl was killed alone," Riley concluded. He was right. Of course, he was right.

"I know," Rory repeated.

Riley looked away from her, the siblings sitting in silence for a minute or so as Rory processed that she could've been the next victim. "You had another nightmare?" Riley spoke up, too soon. Rory didn't respond, which was answer enough. Riley shifted in his seat to face his sister better. "Rory, we've talked about this. You can wake me up, to talk or just distract I don't care. Okay?"

Rory swallowed her pride, telling herself it wasn't pity. "Doesn't matter now," she managed to say, trying to stop her bottom lip from trembling at the memories of the images that had jerked her awake just hours before.

Riley frowned. "It always matters."

Rory swallowed thickly, before forcing a smile to her face and turning to look at her brother, who still looked sad. "We gotta get ready for school, so get some food 'breakfast-before-clothes'," she teased, pushing her chair back and taking her unfinished cereal towards the bin.

Riley still looked disappointed, but managed a playful, "Whatever."

* * *

Rory had had no plans of spending her second day at Beacon Hills High feeling the way she did, but she supposed things could be worse. Actually, Rory had lived through worse, and the day progressed routinely and Rory's nightmare began to fade to the back of her mind, while the face of the man she encountered remained. He could've killed that other girl.

"Ally if you stare at him any longer you may as well take a damn picture," Rory heard Fallon say beside her, snapping the redhead back into reality as they sat together at lunch, waiting for Lydia and the lacrosse players to file in. Allison flushed and averted her eyes from the direction of Scott McCall and Stiles, the pair sitting completely alone at another table.

"I could do it," Rory offered, playfully, nudging Fallon's shoulder, the two giggling like little girls together.

" _No!_ " Allison insisted rather loudly. A few people around them looked to her curiously, and Allison's blush deepened. "I mean… no, thanks," she said, quieter. Fallon and Rory exchanged glances, before both looking directly at Scott and his friend.

"I think he's single," Rory continued.

"Yeah, fairly sure that hairstyle doesn't catch many eyes," Fallon rolled on, both girls not looking away from Scott as they talked.

"That's mean," Rory said, but couldn't hide her smile.

"It's true," Fallon scoffed.

"Shhh," Allison hissed, just as Scott finally realised they were looking at him. Fallon raised her hand and waved daintily, causing Scott to furrow his brows.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Oh, c'mon, like he's gonna hear us across a crowded room." Allison still looked embarrassed, and Fallon had gone strangely quiet, as Lydia arrived with her entourage of Jackson, Riley and other social-climbers of the lacrosse team.

* * *

The rest of the week went by quickly, Rory's nightmare all but disappearing from her memory, just as they always did. Rory only continued to befriend Allison, who very clearly had a crush on her pen-boy, Scott McCall. They discussed her parents' unique jobs, their shared experience in the gymnastics field and Rory even tried to egg Allison on to actually _speak_ to Scott before Fallon did.

Well, in the end she did. Involuntarily, when she had hit a dog in the road and called Rory – who barely knew directions in the town – where the nearest vet was. Rory supposed it was just fate that Scott worked at the place, and insisted she hadn't planned it when Allison called her after to tell her Scott asked her out to the party on Friday.

But, despite getting asked out by and finally talking to Scott, Allison and the boy didn't speak to each other for the rest of the week, much to Rory and Lydia's dismay. It was already Friday, the party hours away as the Leeds plus Lydia entered the school.

The day didn't pass as quickly as others and talk of the party was everywhere amongst Lydia's friends. Many of the girls were fussing over what to wear and how to style themselves, but since Rory had already decided on her look for the night, the girls' conversations bored her. Rory tried to slip into the boys' conversations, but all they talked about was who they were going to try and hook up with that night. By the time the end of the day came, Allison _still_ hadn't talked to Scott.

"I'm seeing him tonight, anyway!" she insisted as they headed down to the pitch for the scrimmage, Fallon and Lydia close by and linked at the arms as per usual.

"Oh, Allison, that's no excuse," Lydia chided the girl. Allison didn't say anything as she waved at Scott once the girls reached the field, Scott awkwardly waving back. Rory spotted her brother on the field and gave him a more sarcastic wave. Beneath his helmet, Rory could only imagine the eyeroll.

The scrimmage was good to watch, with Scott pulling some amazing stunts and landing himself a spot on first line. Rory grinned at Allison, who was cheering Scott on very loudly. Rory didn't cheer, but she did clap and grin when Isaac earned a place on first line as well. She only raised her voice and got her feet when her brother placed.

"Typical," she scoffed as she sat back down. Allison looked at her curiously. "Riley's that one asshole who's good at any sport he does. Growing up with that was an experience," Rory explained, turning back to the scrimmage. Once it ended, Allison and Rory met up with Lydia who had sat and watched with Fallon and some of her other friends.

"See you in a few hours Mrs McCall!" Rory called at the brunette as she got picked up by her father. Allison just turned a light shade of pink. Rory grinned, before turning to her cousin who was waiting with her for Riley to finish getting changed. "Hey, I'm gonna run to the library."

Lydia clicked her tongue. "Uh, why?"

"Because, unlike you, I need to read to not fail maths," Rory quipped. Lydia pursed her lips but didn't say anything as Rory turned on her heel and headed off.

It was no secret – at least in the Martin-Leeds household – that Lydia was a lot smarter than she gave herself credit for. Rory often got frustrated when the girl acted dumb when among friends. While Rory valued her social status just as much as her cousin, if she was as effortlessly smart as Lydia, she'd probably never shut up about it.

The library was practically abandoned this late after school, as Rory strolled inside, the door creaking loudly in the relative silence. She headed for the non-fiction shelves, fingers trailing over the books as she went, scanning for anything that related to the topic she needed. She knew she could ask for help, but her pride was almost untouchable.

Rory furrowed her brows as she heard loud shuffling a few aisles over, followed by the sound of collapsing books and a quiet 'fuck.' The redhead, curious, walked along the two aisles, peering down the end one to see none other than Stiles, fumbling on the ground with about seven different books.

"Should've known," Rory spoke up, and Stiles snapped to attention from his place on the floor.

"R-Rory, hey," Stiles greeted, pulling the books closer to him as he continued to pile them all into his arms at once. Rory didn't respond as she noticed the covers of the books Stiles had; they all had to do with werewolves. She furrowed her brows. "Oh, uh, full moon tonight," Stiles said, offering Rory a smile as he saw she'd noticed the unusual book choice.

"Right," she said, slowly. "Do you have a pet werewolf I need to be aware of?" she added with a smirk.

"What?" Stiles dropped the three books he'd managed to pile. He apparently gave up, getting up off the floor to lean against the shelf as he faced Rory. "No. I'm, uh, part of an online community that… battles mythical creatures." The way he said it was obvious that he was speaking off the top of his head, and Rory found herself stupidly wondering why he _really_ wanted to know so much about werewolves. Maybe he was just that weird.

"Sure," she drawled, instead. Stiles gave her an awkward smile. She didn't say anything else as she turned on her heel, but Stiles called after her.

"Hey, I'll see you and Lydia at the party tonight?"

Rory leaned back into the aisle, looking at Stiles blankly. "Seriously?"

The boy looked sheepish, shifting on his feet. "Well, yeah."

Rory rolled her eyes. "It's at _our_ house." Stiles' eyes widened, and the pair didn't say anymore to each other as Rory ducked out of the aisle and headed back to where she'd been in the first place.

* * *

From the moment Rory set foot in the Martins' house, Lydia was instantly on her back about preparing for the party. Hanging up lights and streamers, setting up music, placing cups and drinks out, and hiding any stuff they were concerned about being broken or stolen. Jackson came over soon to help set up, giving Lydia a chance to lecture Rory on how she needed to change with time to spare so Lydia could make adjustments. Rory highly-doubted that, having faith in her sense of fashion.

Natalie had made sure to make plans to be out of the house for the party, and Daniel was working late again – whether on purpose or not, Rory had no idea. So, there would be no adults to 'screw with the party' as Lydia had put it. Rory was okay with that, always preferring unsupervised parties back in Jersey. Though, she reminded herself, the party from that night had been unsupervised.

The inside of the house was already filled with the thrumming of music as Rory headed upstairs, her outfit greenlit by her cousin, as expected. "No, no, no," Rory said, quickly as her brother attempted to lock himself in their shared bedroom. The redheaded girl was dressed already in a blue thin-strapped top and white jeans, as she firmly gripped Riley's wrist. "You are _not_ hiding in here all night and leaving me to meet everyone on my own."

"Oh yeah? What're you gonna do about it?" Riley scoffed, pulling his arm from Rory's grip, the girl arching an eyebrow.

"Send out the pictures of you from fourth grade," she said, breezily.

Riley's eyes widened slightly. "You would not."

Rory crossed her arms over her chest. "Try me."

Minutes later, the Leeds headed downstairs, one smug and one very disgruntled at being blackmailed into socialising. Rory would've been lying if she said she hadn't done it because she needed the support, someone to fall back on if the amount of bodies pressing against each other to the rhythm of the music reminded her too much of what had brought her to this town in the first place.

They headed outside where the music and drinks were. A few people had already arrived and were turning the volume of the music up and Rory smiled to herself, the familiar setting not feeling as bitter as she had expected.

"There you are!" Lydia said in exasperation as she approached the siblings. Rory knew her cousin got worked up at the beginning of any of her parties, even when they were just kids. The older redheaded girl reached the pair.

"Sorry. Had to convince this one," Rory gestured with her head to Riley beside her, "to actually come out of his room."

Riley looked at her, a hurt look on his face. "You blackmailed me."

"Persuaded," Rory fired back.

"Cheated."

"Convinced."

"Oh, god." Lydia rolled her eyes, still not completely used to the siblings' antics. "Just… make a good first impression," she told them, tightly. Rory just gave her cousin a thumbs-up as she headed off into the now-quickly-growing crowd of people.

Rory spent about twenty minutes being able to greet everyone and learn plenty of new faces before too many people arrived for her to keep track. By then, she'd started to dance and sway to the music, making some new friends as well as earning herself a few unwanted looks. Riley had drifted, and Rory hoped she wouldn't find him passed out on his bed before the night was even finished.

The redhead spotted a familiar blonde head of hair amongst the crowd, sandwiched between two different lacrosse players as they danced together. "Leeds!" Fallon greeted, unable to hide a laugh as the boy behind her pressed his mouth to her neck. Rory just managed a weak smile as a greeting and turned away, heading back towards familiar faces that hadn't succumbed to alcohol yet.

After what felt like an hour but could've been just minutes, Rory felt her chest constrict. The music began to fade until it was numb pounding in Rory's head, and she felt herself defocus entirely as a rush of memories hit her, of a similar night and a similar setting, where her life had changed in a moment. She swayed, but it wasn't to the beat of the music.

A sharp elbow to her ribcage from someone dancing close to her shook Rory from her trance, and all the music and sound around came rushing back at once. She glanced around, no one having noticed her episode. Rory sniffed, feeling her eyes water, before she turned and headed inside to escape, anxiety still flooding her system.

She found Riley talking to none other than Stiles, drinks in their hands as they laughed. Rory gave the buzzcut boy an odd look, remembering his book choice from earlier that day, as she headed over.

"Hey," Rory greeted, casually, sliding in next to Riley. Neither questioned her intrusion, but Rory avoided Stiles' eyes.

"You want something to drink?" Riley asked his sister, looking down at her.

She nodded. "Yeah, if you're offering." Too late Rory realised that meant being alone with Stiles as her brother headed off, and Rory leaned against the kitchen counter. The buzzcut boy across from her didn't leave, but he also didn't say anything, sticking to fidgeting constantly and looking less than comfortable.

"Okay. Not that I care, because I don't, but what the hell's wrong with you?" Rory finally asked, after what was probably only a few seconds of awkward silence.

Stiles looked surprised she'd even uttered a word. "What?"

"Your anxiety is making _me_ anxious," Rory told him.

"Oh. Y-you can tell?" Stiles asked, his mannerisms becoming even more fidgety.

"Yes." More silence. "Not your scene?" Rory questioned, voice less critical this time.

Stiles once again looked surprised. "What?"

Rory gestured outside. "Parties. Are they not your scene?"

" _Oh_. Kind of?" It was phrased as a question. Rory regarded him for a few moments, eyes narrowed.

"Figured you'd be at home with your online community," she got out.

Stiles clearly heard the first time this time, as his face went through a few different expressions in under a second. "…Ah well y'know the gang doesn't… need me tonight," he managed to string together. Still a lie. And not even a good one.

"Right."

At that moment, Riley returned with a beer, already uncapped. Rory accepted it without a word and tipped it back, downing the whole thing in one go. Stiles' eyes widened and Riley just rolled his. Rory placed the empty can on the counter nearby before licking her lips.

"Thanks for the chat," she said, clapping her brother on the shoulder as she left the two boys, barely giving Stiles a glance. Rory found herself outside again, feeling significantly lighter than when she had retreated indoors, and it only took her moments to melt into the crowd of moving bodies and shouting, the redhead dancing away the time.

"Rory!" a voice eventually called over the music. Rory wheeled around, coming to face her brunette friend.

"Allison, hey!" Rory said over the music, still moving to it as she spoke to Allison. The redhead's eyes briefly scanned the area. "Where's Scott?"

"Getting drinks," Allison replied. Rory grinned and sipped at her own drink.

"Ah, a gentleman," she mused, and Allison flushed yet again. Rory found it adorable.

Allison looked around, before asking, "Where's Lydia? And Fallon?"

Rory laughed, shrugging her shoulders a bit. "Lydia's probably snuck Jackson into her room, and Fallon's with whoever she wants tonight, honestly," she thought aloud. Allison laughed a bit, just as her pen boy appeared beside her. "Oh, hey Scott," Rory greeted, a smirk on her face.

He looked at her, a little caught off guard. "Hey, Rory." The redhead wasn't surprised he knew her name despite the fact they'd never talked. She also noticed that the brunette pair were standing close together, and Rory got the message.

"Alright. I'll leave you two lovebirds to it," she relented, a playful tone to her voice. Scott looked at the ground and Allison's eyes widened.

" _Rory!_ "

Rory just winked at her friend as she headed off, downing the last of her drink and heading off. She made it out of the crowds, placing herself on the outskirts of the party. She scanned for anyone she knew, and did a double take when she saw someone she definitely didn't want to see again, standing beside the firepit, the light casting eerie shadows across his face. Narrowing her eyes, Rory stalked over to the man, who lazily fixed his gaze on her as she approached.

"Who are you?" she asked immediately, her voice lacking any of the playfulness it had the last time she'd seen the man earlier in the week. He looked a little surprised by her boldness but didn't comment on it, as he scanned her up and down. Rory supposed she wasn't that intimidating, with a height all of five foot five.

"My name's Derek. I'm a friend of Scott's," the man replied with a smile that looked incredibly forced. Rory stared at him for a few, long seconds, studying his face and his mannerisms. She just shook her head and chuckled softly to herself. Derek looked at her, questioningly.

She leaned forward. "You're a terrible liar," Rory whispered, and something changed in Derek's eyes. Rory smiled triumphantly and turned on her heel, just in time to see Scott and Allison break apart. The boy looked in pain, and Rory's eyes flicked up to the full moon glowing in the sky briefly.

She watched, confused, as Scott began to disappear into the crowd, leaving Allison high and dry. The redhead moved through the masses of moving bodies, shoving as she went, her eyes on Scott's back. She collided with a drunk Fallon, but simply shoved her to the side where she was caught by some lacrosse player.

Rory finally made it inside, seeing the front door close. She jogged over in her heels, a skill long-practiced, heading outside. She had just reached the bottom of the stairs to the house when Rory saw Allison get into a black Camaro. The window rolled down and Derek became visible, flashing a smile Rory's way, before driving off.

"Why's Allison with that creep?" Rory wondered out loud.

"Whoa, wait, you know Derek Hale?" a voice said from beside Rory, and she whipped around to see Stiles standing there. He looked paler than usual, and Rory took note of the panicky manner to his movements.

"Yeah, I ran onto his 'private property' the other day," Rory explained, briefly. Stiles still looked nervous, prompting Rory to say, "Why?"

"Uh, doesn't matter." Stiles ran a hand down his face, and Rory recalled him borrowing the mass of werewolf books just hours before.

"Okay, what the hell's wrong with your best friend?" Rory demanded, thinking of Allison's best interests more than anything else.

Stiles shook his head rapidly. "N-nothing, he's fine." Rory didn't even bother calling out the lie.

"He won't be when I get to him on Monday for ditching Allison," Rory remarked. Stiles didn't say anything else as he bolted towards a blue jeep in the street, Rory watching him go. "Wow," she said, slightly flustered at being blown off as Stiles sped up the road.

Rory checked her phone, as if Allison or someone would've already sent her an update, before letting out a tired sigh and turning back to the house to get through the rest of the party.

* * *

 **A/N:** Honestly I'm not the biggest fan of this chapter. Maybe it's the length maybe it's kinda choppy? I don't know just not my favourite but at least we're past the first episode and kinda getting into things now.

Anyway, thanks for reading, review your thoughts and I'll hopefully see you in the next one _!_


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